Unpopular Neighbor Allowed To Build

Residents of the Stanford Weekend Acres community - an unincorporated region of the county near Portola Valley and Menlo Park - spoke out against the proposal by local property owner to subdivide his parcel of land in the neighborhood and build two new homes.

Some community members accused Shahidi of being driven solely by the opportunity to sell the property, while resident Sidney Overland said she believed that the proposal flew in the face of the values and character of the local neighborhood.

But the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors sided with Shahidi on Tuesday night. Shahidi applied to build two separate 2,000 square-foot homes on his Bishop Lane property. 

The most recent proposal by Shahidi is a significant reduction from to build a 7,000 square-foot home, which drew the ire of neighborhood residents and caused the county to r for the region. 

As part of the new development, Shahidi has agreed to demolish an existing building on his property which hangs on the banks of . 

County administrators in the past had expressed concerns about the potential erosion threat posed by the structure, yet the county held no authority to have it removed without approving Shahidi's most recent proposal. 

reminded those present at the meeting that Shahidi maintains rights that must be recognized as a property owner, and said he appreciated the applicant's willingness to reconsider a more reasonable size and scope for his proposed development. 

"The alternative may have been much worse," said Pine. 

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